Omofobia

Nikolai Alekseev, and about 15 others gays and lesbians have been arrested this morning at 10am in Moscow while they attempted to vote at the “District Electoral Commission N° 165”. They came to the place at 9.30am. Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov who banned the last 2 gays prides was planning to vote in the same place later in the day.
The police suddenly broke into the place and took all the activists who were quietly voting. There was no protest organized. About 5 police bus could be seen around the voting place which usually serve as a school. In the voting room, music was being plaied.
The activists are detained at the Tverskoy police station and no information on their release is given by the authorities.
Member of German Bundestag, Volker Beck, has called his Ministry of Foreign Affairs to react in Moscow. A statement is due soon.

UPDATE: At the police station, the Moscow TV channel (TVC) controlled by the City Hall was allowed by the police to record the jailed activists with their face despite their refusal.

An appeal signed by Russian Gays and Lesbians and released about 2 weeks ago called the LGBT community to come to vote and write on the balot paper: “No to homophobs!”
They claimed that no political party took the LGBT issues ino consideration and therefore they did not want to support anyone.